Wit messes



4-UNITED STATES IPATENT OFFICE.

ANNA M. FORTIER AND SHADRACI-I M. A. AFOR'IIER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, GAIA y STAM P-CANCELER.

SPECIFICATION f orming part of Letters Patent No. 293,443, dated February 12, 1884.

Application filed October 1, 17981. `Renewed August 1T, 1883. (No model.)

To `all whom it may concern,.-

Beit known that we, ANNA MARY FORTIER and SHADRA on M. A. FORMER, citizens of the United States, and residing at San `Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State Of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stanip-Cancelers, of which the following is a specification.

The objects of our invention are to provide a means whereby postage, revenue, and other stamps are canceled by mutilation, so that these stamps cannot be restored and used again, and at the same time the name of the postofice given and the inking of the mutilated stamp had simultaneously. Ve attain rthese objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a plan view of the canceling-face of the stamp. Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectional view. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line x x of Fig. 2.

Similar letters are used to designate like parts throughout the several views.

In carrying out Vour invention, we employ the ordinary canceling-case and postmarkingstamp,A, now so generally used bythe departments, and within the canceling-case A of this stamp we pivot, b'y means of the pins a a, two bent arms or dogs,B. The upper ends of these dogs arerounded, .and they are pivoted to the `containing-case, so as to have a slight movement upon the pins when actuated, the reverse or backwardV movement being limited by the sides of the Case. The dogs B B are bent at right angles, and their lower faces are provided with teeth or serrationsb, the points of which incline outwardly toward the ends of the case, so that when a blow is given to the canceler the teeth or serrations will strike the stamp in a slanting or oblique manner, and have a tendency to peel up or strip the stamp from the envelope without `cutting or perforating the envelope, which would be the case if the blow, a spiral spring, C, is .arranged betweenv the horizontal portions of the dogs and the lower'face ofthe lid D. This spring is slightly Compressed, and its lower ,coil rests on the horizontal arms of the dogs, while the lid or cover D holds it in position. When a blow is given to the stamp,the spring will beflrst compressed and then recoil, so as to force the dogs outward with an elastic pressure to the right and left, while the teeth or serrations of the dogs will be caused to strike the stamp in a lslightly-oblique direction and mutilate and detach it from the envelope at the points of Contact without perforating the envelope, even if the'latter is manufactured of thin paper.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Pat ent is- Ih a canceling-stamp, the combination of the Vcasing A', lid D, bent dogs B B, pivoted in said casing and provided with teeth b b, and the coiled spring C, resting on the horizontal arms of the dogs between the same and the lid of the case, substantially as shown and described.

-In testimony that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our hands and seals this 22d day of' September, 1881.

ANNA M. Fournir. [n s.

SHADRACH MfA. FRTIER. [L s] Vitnesses:

C. W. M. SMITH, WILMER BRADFORD. 

